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19 <br /> 1 Orange County IT has been administering the Open Broadband contract with an eye <br /> 2 toward first customer sign ups in April-May of 2019. Some of the key deliverables from <br /> 3 now till then: <br /> 4 9 continue reviewing Open Broadband Project financials (County) <br /> 5 9 negotiating tower agreements (Hillsborough / Open Broadband) <br /> 6 9 negotiating tower agreements (Orange County/ Open Broadband) <br /> 7 9 field verification of Open Broadband equipment purchases and configurations <br /> 8 <br /> 9 The largest current initiative currently underway is the $500,000 Broadband Initiative, <br /> 10 whereby the County sought Request for Proposals (RFP) from Internet Service Providers <br /> 11 (ISPs) on how to improve broadband in both unserved and underserved areas in Orange <br /> 12 County. The Request for Proposals was released in January of 2018. The intent was to find <br /> 13 a vendor that could improve broadband speed and services in the rural areas of the <br /> 14 County. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 A larger initiative in terms of dollars, but at this time only tangentially related to broadband, <br /> 17 is the County's Fiber Project Phase 1. Currently, the County is partnering with the Town of <br /> 18 Hillsborough in order to reduce costs for both parties. The County and Town are currently <br /> 19 in the process of vendor selection after successfully releasing an RFP in November 2017. <br /> 20 Phase 1 was funded in Fiscal Year 2017-18, and Phases 2 & 3 are planned in upcoming <br /> 21 fiscal years. <br /> 22 <br /> 23 Once complete, this project will connect County buildings from Cedar Grove to Carrboro <br /> 24 and have fiber running east-west along the Highway 70 corridor connecting from the Efland <br /> 25 Cheeks Community Center to points close to the Durham County line. The excess dark <br /> 26 fiber will be available to other organizations and individuals outside of Orange County <br /> 27 Government for both broadband and economic development purposes. This project is <br /> 28 currently waiting for Town of Hillsborough Board of Commissioners approval. <br /> 29 <br /> 30 County IT staff has also attended and presented at multiple community meetings. Orange <br /> 31 County IT attended and presented at the Schley Grange along with Internet Service <br /> 32 Providers and State representatives, including NC House Representative Graig Meyer. <br /> 33 <br /> 34 Information Technologies has also been acting as a clearinghouse for all resident <br /> 35 broadband service issue concerns. Typically, staff responds to every Orange County <br /> 36 resident email and call personally and tries to facilitate solutions between residents and <br /> 37 ISPs while at the same time setting realistic expectations. Often this is simply a matter of <br /> 38 connecting residents with the right person in the ISP's organization and, after making <br /> 39 introductions, checking back in to ensure that all parties are communicating effectively. <br /> 40 <br /> 41 Jim Northrup said phase 2 of this endeavor will focus on the southern portion of the <br /> 42 County, and Chatham County. He said including parts of Chatham County is an <br /> 43 engineered solution that was contracted with this vendor to do. He said he has spoken <br /> 44 with Chatham County twice, who is looking to put some towers in northern Chatham <br /> 45 County, which will bleed over into Chapel Hill. He said this should be a reciprocal <br /> 46 relationship. <br /> 47 <br /> 48 <br /> 49 <br /> 50 <br />